Silence
by Agnes Stewart
Summary: "Maurice decided he would never get used to the dark." Maurice is lost in the dark, until he finds Simon.


Maurice decided he would never get used to the dark. And though he would never tell anyone, but he used to keep the hall light on at night when he was back at home. But here, the dark was even more unbearable. It pressed in on him, trapping, suffocating, and sealing shut around him.

What had started as a trip to relieve himself turned into a trek through the jungle. Maurice was hopelessly lost. He had already tripped at least twice, which he thought funny, since Robert was usually the clumsy one. And Jack sometimes, but he said it was because he was so tall and the rest of them were midgets. Maurice was almost as tall as Jack, and he didn't fall half as often. Not that he would bring that up…

Maurice toppled over as he tripped on a thread of creepers. He sat up, blinking. "This is hopeless," he mumbled, getting to his feet. The boy picked his way through the creepers, the jungle a blur in front of him. He continued on for a few minutes. The minutes seemed like hours in the dark, humid jungle, nothing in front of him, nothing behind. Just Maurice.

Never before had he felt so quiet, or so alone.

The silence was shattered however, as Maurice heard a shaking of leaves from nearby. He froze. _It's the beast, here to kill you. Good job, Maurice. This is just wonderful. That's what you get for wandering off. All on your own. _His fingers itched for his spear, but he had left it back at camp. Not that he could imagine himself stabbing anything. He had never been too violent.

"H-hello?" he spoke, his voice trembling. "Who's there?" Maurice could just barely see in front of him, but he made out a shadow popping up from among the bushes.

"Just me," a faint voice answered.

"Simon?" he questioned, and the other boy made a small noise, by way of confirming his suspicion. "What are you doing out here?"

"I come here sometimes," Simon spoke quietly. "This is my special place."

Maurice nodded, and took a step forward. The younger boy took hold of his hand and asked, "Do you want to see?"

"All right," the older boy said, smiling. He could see a flash of white in the darkness as Simon turned and led him through the creepers. The smaller boy stopped wordlessly in front of what looked to be a thicket of creepers. "This is it?" Maurice asked. Simon's face seemed to fall, and he amended, "It looks nice."

Simon smiled slightly and said, "You can go in, if you want. You have to stay low to the ground."

The older boy complied, and wriggled under the mat of creepers. It was a little sanctuary, peaceful and snug. Simon joined him a moment later, a grey smudge against the darkness. "How come you like it so much here?" Maurice asked, leaning back against the grass. Though the place was cozy, and warm, and calm, the boy couldn't escape the stifling darkness.

"It's quiet, and I can be alone. Here, I'm always right. I'm not crazy." Simon fell silent again, though his voice very rarely rose above a whisper. "You're the only one that knows about it."

Maurice was quiet himself. He suddenly felt awful for all the times he laughed at the smaller boy, or teased, and even for the times when he had seen it done. "Well, I'm glad you decided to show me," he said.

After that it was silent, and Maurice looked up at the dark canopy above him. It was black and empty, and the boy watched it intently. It seemed to swallow up all noise, save for the sounds of the nighttime bugs and the wind that did little to ease the humidity.

He heard Simon lay down as well; saw his profile in the darkness. He scooted closer to Maurice, fixing his eyes on the canopy above. The older boy's cheeks colored, but Simon seemed unfazed, so he made no comment. They fell into comfortable silence again.

It was nice, just being quiet. With Simon, he could be as quiet as he wanted, not having to crack jokes or entertain anyone, or annoy anyone. And Maurice found that with Simon, he didn't fear the silence.

"I just don't like the dark," the older boy said, out of nowhere.

"You're scared of the dark?"

"Well…" Maurice trailed off, a bit shocked at Simon's bluntness. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Don't feel bad. Everyone's scared of something."

"What're you scared of?"

Simon was quiet for a moment, but Maurice didn't mind. "I guess I'm scared of not fitting in."

"Well, I'm your friend. Aren't I?" He could see Simon nod in the dark, and he smiled. "I'm glad." The younger boy scooted closer to Maurice and threaded their fingers together.

They laid together like that for a time, their fingers entwined and Simon's head against Maurice's arm. The older boy felt more at peace than he had since before they had even boarded the plane out of England, and his previous, terrifying wander through the dark was forgotten.

"You know, the dark isn't so bad anymore."

Simon was quiet, and Maurice could only figure he had fallen asleep.

"Neither is the quiet."

The other boy was asleep next to him, his green eyes shutting out the darkness, the island, and the world. Maurice kissed Simon gently on his forehead, smoothing back his hair as well. He leaned back again, staring up at the canopy and suddenly felt very tired. The boy hummed to himself, the only sound sticking out against the quiet of the jungle.

Not that silence was too bad, after all.


End file.
